The Women 20 (W20) is asking G20 governments to pay for affordable digital access for women and girls and to build routes from STEAM education into technology jobs. The request leads the W20’s 2026 advocacy brief on education, STEAM, digital and AI. For technology companies, telecom operators and employers short of AI and cybersecurity talent, it is an ask about where the next workforce comes from.
What the W20 is asking for
The first recommendation asks governments to fund gender-transformative programs that expand affordable access to devices, data, connectivity and digital public infrastructure. It gives priority to rural, underserved and marginalized communities.
The same recommendation asks for pathways into high-growth fields: AI, cybersecurity, data science and digital innovation. The tools named are scholarships, mentorship, internships and safe, gender-responsive learning environments from early childhood through tertiary education. The brief sets no numeric target or deadline for either part.
Its two other recommendations deal with measurement and rules. One proposes a Global AI and Gender Equality Index. The other asks governments, platforms and AI developers to prevent technology-facilitated gender-based violence, deepfakes and gendered disinformation.
The access gap
The brief’s case rests partly on the GSMA’s Mobile Gender Gap Report 2026. In its June 10, 2026 release, the GSMA said 810 million women in low- and middle-income countries still do not use mobile internet, compared with 595 million men. Women there are 12% less likely than men to use mobile internet, which the GSMA says is 200 million fewer women. The gap in smartphone ownership is 13%, or about 210 million fewer women than men.
The GSMA said South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa have the widest gaps, at 25% and 26%.
The brief also cites the Stanford AI Index for the finding that no G20 country approaches gender parity among AI researchers and developers.
Why it matters for business
The brief treats access and skills as one pipeline. Women who are not online in large consumer markets are hard to reach as customers and hard to hire as workers. The skills ask lines up with business groups’ own concerns. The B20’s 2026 Leaders’ Statement sets a goal of cutting the share of employers citing skills gaps as a barrier from 63% to below 40% by 2030.
The W20’s recommendations are advice to G20 governments. Leaders meet in Miami on December 14 and 15.
Sources
- W20 Advocacy Brief: Education, STEAM, Digital and AI (Women 20, 2026 USA presidency)
- 810 million women still not using mobile internet in low- and middle-income countries, compared to 595 million men (GSMA, June 10, 2026)
- B20 USA 2026, Leaders’ Statement (U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
- W20 presidencies (Women 20)
- Media Logistics for the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Miami, Florida (U.S. Department of State, October 28, 2026)
